"He's not ready for this level" were words Bolduc took to heart

But they were words he knew were coming.

The St. Louis Blues coach was succinct, and he wanted to get his point across so that Bolduc understood exactly what needed to be done in order for him to elevate his level of play to that that is suitable for the NHL.

"He’s a kid. He's going to go back to juniors. He’s not ready yet for this level," Berube said of Bolduc at the end of training camp prior to the 2022-23 season.

"He’s got to go down and play with more pace in his game," Berube continued. "I think that he has the ability with his feet to do a lot more than he does with the puck. He’s got to skate more and make more plays and not just be a shooter. He’s capable of doing more with his ability. And defensively, he’s got to improve. He’s got to be more responsible defensively, understand the responsibilities of playing good ‘D’ and checking."

The 20-year-old did just that, again, at the junior level when he was assigned to Quebec of the QMJHL and capped his junior career in grand fashion by winning a league title, then capping it off with a Memorial Cup.

The 17th pick in the 2022 NHL Draft once again put up scintillating numbers: 110 points (50 goals, 60 assists) in 61 regular-season games, followed by 19 points (11 goals, eight assists) in 18 playoff games, then six points (two goals, four assists) in four games at the Memorial Cup in Halifax, Nova Scotia. That's after putting up 99 points (55 goals, 44 assists) in 65 games the previous season.

"It's been a big year for me," Bolduc said. "I played 95 games, so it was a fun year. I learned a lot through that year. I think I'm pretty lucky to finish my junior career like this."

The numbers have never been the question. It's the well-rounded portion, and Berube's words were ones Bolduc felt like he needed to hear to humble him.

"He was honest, and that's the truth at the end. I knew it," Bolduc said. "He didn't have to say it. I knew it at the end of the camp that I didn't play the hockey that I was able to play. It's going to be on me to bring my game that I played in junior here and play at another level for sure because the level's going to be higher, it's going to be faster and guys will be bigger. I just have to be the best version of me.

"That was the truth. For me, I wasn't surprised when I heard it. I knew it. I told them at the end of the camp when they cut me that I didn't play the hockey that I was able to play and just for me, it was to turn the page, try to be better in junior and I couldn't ask for a better last season in junior, and now I'm ready to turn pro."

The left-handed shooting center makes things happen with the puck on his stick; that's never been in question. But in order for that to translate to the highest end of the hockey spectrum, which will be the NHL once Bolduc gets there, can he affect the game when he doesn't have the puck?

"I think what [Blues director of amateur scouting] Timmy Taylor said is that Bolduc's going to have to understand when he's not scoring, he has to affect the game, and he's done that better this year," Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said. "That'll be the step for him."

Bolduc, who attended Blues prospect camp July 1-4, is knocking on the door.

"He's coming, he's coming, he's close," Taylor said. "Out here (at prospect camp) is not going to be what training camp is all about, but he's taken the right steps. He's got some talent. You see the high-end talent. He won a championship; that's another feather in his cap. Everything we've asked him to do, he's done so far. We're going to ask him to come to training camp, be ready to win a spot. His play will dictate what happens."

Bolduc not only put up incredible numbers with the Ramparts, but he also worked on his defensive game. The plus-minus doesn't always tell the story, but in 82 combined games last season with Quebec, Bolduc was a plus-59. Having the tutilege from Hockey Hall of Fame goalie Patrick Roy as his coach served Bolduc wonders.

"I had a meeting with him like once a week with video and talking about Blues stuff," Bolduc said. "It was pretty good for me. He was always talking about the Blues and playing like that because with the Blues, you have to play like this. He was real good for me. Even if I had a good week, he was there to find some solution to get me better, to make sure that I'm ready when I come here. I'm really thankful for that.

"Sometimes he was hard on me, but people are hard on me because they see good things in me. That's why I can control what I do on the ice."

And that's the mindset Bolduc will have to come to training camp with in September, a mindset that makes him a wildcard as to whether he begins the season in St. Louis or Springfield of the American Hockey League. One way or another, he's going to be playing at a higher level of hockey.

"For sure the mindset is different," said Bolduc, who wants to model his game of current NHL greats Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon. "I'm turning pro this year, so for me, it's another step. I think I'm ready to try and achieve my goal this year.

"I think I am (ready for the NHL). I'll work hard this summer to achieve that goal, but at the same time, I'm not the one who's making the decision at the end."

That would be Berube, who won't for a second give Bolduc any leeway just because he put up gobs of points at the junior level. Which is why Bolduc would love nothing more than to work for his spot and hear the Stanley Cup-winning coach tell him he's made the roster.

"(That) would be my goal," Bolduc said. "I think for me, the goal that I (set) for myself is to start the season here, and after that, it would be to stay here. I'll go one day at a time and I'll try to give all the best."